Records of William Drummond and; Sons, nurserymen and seedsmen, Stirling, Scotland

• Minutes of company meetings 1895-1919
• Cash books and sales ledgers 1818-1842
• Private cash book (family members) 1855-1895
• Salaries/wages book, includes letters 1856-1954
• Sales book 1844-1954
• Bank books 1829-1858
• Stock and Balance books 1858-1960 (incomplete)
• Financial papers including profit and loss accounts 1896-1968
• Business Summary 1906-1916
• Directors reports and annual accounts 1954-1973
• Ledgers 1895-1938
• Stirling Horticultural Society library subscription list 1829-1831
• Donations to the library 1830-1831
• Subscription book, Stirling Agricultural Museum 1836
• Agricultural Exhibition tickets book and expenses 1831-1836
• Reports, Drummond Museum 1832-1833
• Miscellaneous printed papers, 19th-20th centuries, including papers concerning 200th anniversary (1960) and company history material
• Correspondence concerning the company’s status 1894-1973 (incomplete)
• Articles of Association 1908-1934
• Seed catalogues 1814-1976
• Planting directions 1862
• Travellers' reports 1904
• Invoices 1819-1889
• Notebook of travellers' clients c 1895-1915 (incomplete)
• Plan c1929
• Typescript on lime in farm feeding 20th century
• Photographs undated
• Correspondence and other papers concerning house at Wester Livilands, Stirling, including discussion of the Sibyls decorations 1897-1947
• Correspondence (photocopies) from Professor Henry Drummond (1851-1897) to his family 1870-1897

William Drummond (1760-1824 ) set up in business in the late 18th century as a nurseryman and seedsman in the Bannockburn area. He leased ground at Coneypark, Stirling, from about 1800 which continued in use as a nursery until the late 20th century. The business flourished and Drummond was joined by the eldest son of his first marriage, William, the founder of Drummonds’ Agricultural Museum, who eventually became a partner. In 1814  they opened a shop at the corner of Baxter's Wynd (Baker Street) and Bow Street, Stirling and offered an advisory service to the leading agriculturalists from all over Scotland. The business expanded into new premises in Corn Exchange Road, where they held a successful agricultural exhibition and sale. The Drummonds were pioneers in turnip development with the Drummond's Improved Swede and Drummond's Extra Improved Swede. The firm took premises in King Street, 1820-1898 , and when they were destroyed by fire they moved to Murray Place. This property was again destroyed by fire and was replaced by shops, offices and a store in Colquhoun Street. In 1831 William Drummond held his first exhibition of agricultural produce in Stirling.

The exhibition attracted thousands of visitors and was repeated the following year with such success that in 1833 it was made permanent and became known as Drummonds' Agricultural Museum, Stirling. The museum displayed, as well as seeds and bulbs, the latest inventions in tools and implements. In 1840 it moved to its own building and it was also awarded a gold medal by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. The museum ceased to operate later in the century, partly because the increasing popularity of agricultural societies and shows made it less of an attraction. In 1843 a grandson of the founder, David Drummond, opened premises at 16 (now 58) Dawson Street, Dublin and in 1931 at Carlow. In 1941 and 1959 these premises were expanded to comprise a large grain-drying store with shops, offices stores and nursery gardens. William Drummond & Sons Ltd was incorporated in Dublin as a limited company on 10 October 1895 . The objects of the company included the acquisition and take over as a going concern [of] the business of seed merchants, nurserymen, potato, manure, feeding stuff and implement merchants, and all other business now carried on under the style of William Drummond & Sons in Stirling and Dublin The company retained its family connections with family members maintaining control until the premises closed in 1981.

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

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Majority of papers described in National Register of Archives Scotland survey no. 2359.

Data about collection held on Stirling University Library web-based catalogue.

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Fonds level description compiled by H M Kemp and Alan Borthwick, Scottish Archive Network project, 10 May 2002.